Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction (Hardcover)

~ Paul J. Nahin (Author) "To travel in time..." (more)
Key Phrases: block universe concept, closed timelike loops, time traveler journeys, Tech Note, New York, Big Bang (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through the intriguing theories of scientists and the far-flung imaginations of writers. Readers will explore the ideas of time travel from the first account in English literature (Samuel Madden's 1733 Memoirs of the Twentieth Century) to the latest theories of physicists such as Kip Thorne and Igor Novikov. Time Machines is a completely accessible work for the nonspecialist general reader and covers a variety of topics including the history of time travel in fiction; the fundamental scientific concepts of time, spacetime, and the fourth dimension; the speculations of Einstein, Richard Feynman, Kurt Godel, and others; scientific hypotheses about the direction of time, reversed time, and multi-dimensional time; time travel paradoxes, and much more. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

"Here's a gem of a book...all peppered with delightful notes from science fiction films, novels, and comics. I can't turn a page without finding a jewel." Clifford Stoll, University of California, Berkeley, author of The Cuckoo's Egg "The research that has gone into this book is impressive." Nature "For professional physicists much of the value lies in the extensive technical appendices and footnotes, and the exhaustive list of references. But if, like me, you are a child at heart, the real fun lies in the zany stories and wild speculations." Physics World Time Machines explores the idea of time travel from the first account in English literature to the latest theories of physicists such as Kip Thorne and Igor Novikov. This very readable work covers a variety of topics including the history of time travel in fiction; the fundamental scientific concepts of time, spacetime, and the fourth dimension; the speculations of Einstein, Richard Feynman, Kurt Goedel, and others; time travel paradoxes, and much more.

FROM THE REVIEWS:

SFRA REVIEW "Dr. Nahin has done a fine job with this book. [This book] is an excellent synthesis of the current state of the philosophical and physical discussion on time travel. His use of science fiction to illustrate the possibilities of this research make his work very readable for the layperson as well as the scientist. His explanation why H.G. Wells's time machine wouldn't work (it does not move in space) is particularly engaging...[it] is an excellent addition to the discussion of time travel."

NATURE "The research that has gone into this book is impressive. The author has a made a good selection of ideas from the scientific literature on spacetime, causality violation and time-travel paradoxes, and they are presented at a popular level with science-fiction plots running in parallel."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 628 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd edition (November 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387985719
• ISBN-13: 978-0387985718
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #633,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paul Nahin has written an excellent book for the layperson., May 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction (Paperback)

People have long been fascinated with the idea of time travel. The possibilities are exciting -- you could go back in time and experience firsthand all the wonders of history. You could actually get a second chance to correct mistakes in your own life. To some these possibilities are frightening -- if you really can change the past, what does this do to our sense of continuity? To history? What if you went back and killed your own father before he even met your mother?

Paul J. Nahin discusses both sides of this issue in his thought provoking book Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction. He begins with an overview of time travel, from scientific possibility of it, to popular conjecture about it. He goes on to discuss the nature of time itself, and then ends with an in-depth analysis of paradoxes created by the possibility of time travel. He assures us that we do not have to worry about changing history, because the past cannot be changed.

Nahin has written an excellent book for the layperson. He includes many references to popular works of science fiction, including many stories and movies the reader is probably familiar with. This helps illustrate many of his points. The text is clear and well written. Anyone without a background in physics can understand this book. For those with a more technical bent Nahin includes a few "Tech Notes" at the end of the book to explain certain phenomena he discusses. Time Machines is an exciting book for anyone who has ever sat outside on a long summer night and wondered "what if."

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars time for a trip to the passsed, September 19, 2001

By	Mindy (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

I am no scientist, that's for certain.

This book is a wonderful blend of science and science fiction. It is perfect for people like me, who are fascinated by the idea of time travel but can't understand math or physics for anything. The first few chapters are basically a literature review. An extremely comprehensive literature review. It'll be enough to make you run to your library or bookstore (or computer) in search of these books and short stories.

Nahin also discusses the reality behind time travel with relatively little math. Most of the math is tucked away in the "Tech Notes in the back of the book. Nice technique to sucker in the math-scaredys like me.

What I really loved about the book, though is Nahin's enthusiasm. He is obviously just as nuts (or more) as I am about this outlandish subject of time travel, which makes the book, in my opinion, stand-out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man Must Conquer Time!, March 9, 2001

By	New Age of Barbarism "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is a good introduction to some of the science fiction and science fact speculations concerning the possibility of time travel. It considers time travel from early science fiction speculations (e.g. H. G. Wells' _Time Machine_) to modern science speculations involving quantum mechanics, faster-than-light tachyons, and wormholes. From the classic speculations involving General Relativity of Kurt Godel and his rotating universe, to the modern speculations of Kip Thorne involving the use of wormholes to travel backwards in time, the science of time travel is made clear to the lay person. Philosophical speculation with regards to the metaphysics of time is dealt with fully. The apparent paradoxes of time travel (backwards in time) (e.g. the "grandfather paradox") are considered and possible resolutions to them are proposed. In the end, the reader is left to decide for himself whether time travel is: 1. possible, and 2. feasible (at whatever level of technological advancement). According to Stephen Hawking, the fact that we haven't been visited by time travelling tourists is evidence against the possibility of backwards in time, time travel. I myself do not believe this to be the case and think that there is some other reason for the apparent absence of time travellers. For those of us who boldly wonder about the possibilities of man's future evolution, future technological progress, and future civilization, the issue of time travel is an unavoidable and a tempting one. If man is to ever conquer the galaxy, he must conquer time first. It must be possible - it will be possible! This book is an appeal to dreamers and speculative philosophers to examine fully the issues, paradoxes, and proposed methods of time travel.